- Time
- Post link
Sparky, that is not a fair analogy. I was presenting an meme that illustrates my perception of Ric_Olie2’s argument, not of Ric_olie2 himself. Stop treating it like an ad hominem. I can repost the image with just the text and no wojaks if that helps.
I absolutely despise all the people hating on Chris Chibnle’s run on Doctor Who.
All of them? I think that’s a bit harsh. Spoilers ahead.
I wouldn’t describe myself as hating Chibnall’s run as I give it credit where credit is due. Generally speaking I avoid taking any extreme side on fan reception to these sorts of things, preferring to stick to a middle ground of “yeah it sucks, but it has its moments” or something to that effect. Point is I don’t particularly like Chibnall’s Doctor Who, but I do think the treatment it’s gotten is a little harsh.
However, I think there are a lot of things wrong with it that should not be ignored.
The companions have no character. They might as well be cardboard cutouts. A lot of people say that’s because three companions is too many but I strongly disagree. It worked flawlessly with Amy, Rory, and River. Yes, she wasn’t a fulltime companion, but that’s besides the point, as all three had distinct roles and personalities in the episodes they shared. I think Yaz, Ryan, and Graham could have easily all been fully developed without having to drop a single one of them.
A lot of people also say Thirteen doesn’t act like the Doctor, but I strongly disagree. Whittaker’s pitch perfect in the role. The Doctor doesn’t always need to have a darker side or be the most powerful person in the room who has everything under control. She can be just a ditzy doofus travelling the universe and running into trouble. That’s all the Classic Series ever was. I’ve heard many people say Jo Martin is a better Doctor but I feel the total opposite. Whittaker felt like the Doctor from the minute she landed in that trained in Sheffield, while Martin still doesn’t feel like the Doctor yet. Oh and the Dhawan Master is perfect too.
The episodes have been mostly mediocre, with a few standout exceptions. I quite liked Kerblam but a lot of people despised the ending. Demons of the Punjab has been the pinnacle of the entire run so far with Rosa not far behind. Noticing a trend there of the historicals coming out on top, as they’re the one thing that has gotten indisputably better under Chibnall. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos was literally one of the worst Doctor Who stories I have ever had the displeasure of seeing. At the end of the day, though, most episodes were just middle of the road. One trend I’ve picked up on that seems pretty consistent is that there’s a distinct drop in wrinting quality whenever Chibnall takes over (aside from Rosa, but he only co-wrote that). I guess a few of his episodes were okay, but a disproportionate amount were bad. Oh and why does he feel the need to shove in forty different guest characters?
The Doctor being the Timeless Child is dumb and always will be. The Timeless Child as a whole is not, but no matter how you slice it, The Timeless Children is a bad episode directly after two really good ones.
If you think people just hate Chibnall Who because the Doctor is a woman or “SJW propaganda” you haven’t been paying attention to the actual criticisms. Yes, those people exist, but they’re in the minority. And yes, it is pathetic when people do five hour essays on why they hate a thing. I don’t endorse that. There is legit criticism to be made.